Fact or Fiction?
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Customer Tactics
- bubble gum
- moth balls
- worm / grub killer
- soap
- planting certain flowers
- glass shards
- poison worms
- rose stems / blackberry vines
- nails / screws
- cat / dog pee
- cat / dog poo
- pet / human hair
- exhaust fumes
- gasoline
- diesel fuel
- motor oil
- various poisons
- cayenne pepper
- powders that change the way worms and grubs smell
- vibrating sticks
- windmills
- garden hose to flood tunnel
- pressure washers
- solar powered noise makers
- gimmick traps
- traps that do work but not used correctly
- road flares
- smoke bombs
- gas / air mixture tunnel explosions
- castor oil
- liquid laundry detergent
- wd-40
- plastic / metal mesh
- numerous legal / illegal poisons
- .22 blank shells (concussion shots)
- fireworks / m-80s
- loud music
- applying extra fertilizer
- mowing more often
- digging trenches around perimeter
What actual works....
(*per the WDFW the most effective way to remove moles is through trapping..)
There are only 3 or 4 different traps ever made that are actually effective enough to use professionally or at all. Most traps sold are complete gimmicks and look meaner than they actually are. The manufacturers of these items are the same ones that make the traps that do work..they have 10 other traps to sell you.. they are in the business of selling gadgets not trapping moles! Even the good traps need to be altered to be effective.. a tweak here n' there makes a world of difference..
What else works on occasion?
-gas explosions... (better results on gophers than moles)
-intense / illegal posions you can no longer get
-drought, zero scapes
-shotgun trigger traps, extremely dangerous!!!!!
-patience and a 12 guage shotgun
(can't even attempt these methods in a residential setting)
Deterrents? not many....
-special types of landscaping
-organic material management
-getting neighbors to trap with you
-lower the breeding population
-irrigation management
-staying on top of your problem
-stainless steel mesh under garden beds $$$
Myth Origination
"A myth or wives tale is created by assuming what you did was the reason for what you see" -The Anvil
-Moles live 3-4 years, may have died
-Moles move around, most likely moved over
-Moles don't know property lines
-Moles always look for easier digging / easier food
-Your tactic didn't produce a body
-Your poison worms or blaring Brittany Spears did not take care of your mole.
-You didn't scare your mole to your neighbors house.. moles will often not make mounds for weeks
-Owl / Cat / Dog / Racoon could have nabbed it.
-Moles are not affraid of sound or vibration.
-Moles do not care if you step on their mounds.
-Moles don't care if their tunnels smell awful
-Moles are great swimmers, can even dig backwards. Your hose may have scared one up but you didn't drown it. They swim through flooded tunnels and cross creeks with ease.
-Moles need very little oxygen and can handle high levels of Co2. Your exhaust or flare does nothing.
-Moles carry almost zero diseases and have no known illneses that can damage a population.
-They have no natural predators anymore, their fur has a musky stink that deters curious animals.
-Coyotes, Wolves, Cats / Dogs do not target them. Owls and Racoons have been known to eat them but only certain times of the year.
